Hear straight from our graduates.
One of the things that I enjoyed most about the course was the diversity of the students and the variety of their backgrounds, from fine art and furniture-making to law and nutrition.
Designer, Paul Belford Ltd
Eleanor Robertson
Tell us a bit about what you were doing before Shillington and what made you want to change your career?
I originally studied English Literature at Oxford University. Directly before Shillington I was juggling two jobs—doing the marketing for a pub group in Kent and working as an account manager at a London PR agency. I also took on freelance projects as a copywriter and brand strategist. My day-to-day work was varied; marketing, publicity, social media, event planning and menu development. Some of it was exciting and glamourous: I saw Robbie Williams in his underpants, shielded Jamie Oliver from the paparazzi and got paid to taste gin! But the truth is that I spent years feeling confused about what I wanted to do. There’s a lot on my CV because I avoided making decisions about the future. One advantage, though, was that I had the chance to try my hand at lots of different things, including graphic design, art direction and photography. I eventually realised that my passion lay in bringing together images, words and ideas.
I taught myself how to use the Adobe suite and began applying my new skills, taking on freelance commissions for local businesses. Though I’m still apologising to the printers who had to work with me, I became more confident and gained focus. Finally, in 2017, I decided to take the leap and pursue graphic design full-time. I handed in my notice, borrowed a hefty loan from the bank and enrolled at Shillington. This felt like a gamble—at nearly 30, I was signing up for more debt and uncertainty while my friends were all advancing in their careers, buying their first homes and getting dogs.
I worried, a lot—that I wouldn’t be any good at graphic design, that I wouldn’t enjoy it after all, that I wouldn’t find a job. I enjoyed the work I was doing, I was valued by my employers and I had opportunities for further promotion. It was hard to leave, but I wanted more creative fulfilment from my career and I knew that I needed to challenge myself. I am so glad I did.
How would you describe your experience studying at Shillington? Any stand-out moments you’d like to share?
Shillington was exactly what I was looking for, allowing me to retrain without going back to university. I already had basic software skills, but the course filled in the gaps while developing my eye and creative problem-solving abilities. The teachers were fantastic and I am still amazed by how they teach so much in such a short time. Each brief was designed to test us to our absolute limits, and the pace was judged to perfection. From day one, when we were given a box of pipe cleaners to facilitate a bonding exercise, I felt excited and happy to be at Shillington. The atmosphere encouraged creativity while also being structured and supportive. I won’t pretend it was all a dream. Though I knew the term would be intense, I didn’t anticipate what an emotional rollercoaster it would be. There were moments of self-doubt and frustration. I cried twice in the toilet, a lot more at home and threw my laptop at the wall one weekend. But I’d do it all over again in a shot.
Visit Eleanor’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
One of the things that I enjoyed most about the course was the diversity of the students and the variety of their backgrounds, from fine art and furniture-making to law and nutrition.
Designer, Paul Belford Ltd
Eleanor Robertson
Tell us a bit about what you were doing before Shillington and what made you want to change your career?
I originally studied English Literature at Oxford University. Directly before Shillington I was juggling two jobs—doing the marketing for a pub group in Kent and working as an account manager at a London PR agency. I also took on freelance projects as a copywriter and brand strategist. My day-to-day work was varied; marketing, publicity, social media, event planning and menu development. Some of it was exciting and glamourous: I saw Robbie Williams in his underpants, shielded Jamie Oliver from the paparazzi and got paid to taste gin! But the truth is that I spent years feeling confused about what I wanted to do. There’s a lot on my CV because I avoided making decisions about the future. One advantage, though, was that I had the chance to try my hand at lots of different things, including graphic design, art direction and photography. I eventually realised that my passion lay in bringing together images, words and ideas.
I taught myself how to use the Adobe suite and began applying my new skills, taking on freelance commissions for local businesses. Though I’m still apologising to the printers who had to work with me, I became more confident and gained focus. Finally, in 2017, I decided to take the leap and pursue graphic design full-time. I handed in my notice, borrowed a hefty loan from the bank and enrolled at Shillington. This felt like a gamble—at nearly 30, I was signing up for more debt and uncertainty while my friends were all advancing in their careers, buying their first homes and getting dogs.
I worried, a lot—that I wouldn’t be any good at graphic design, that I wouldn’t enjoy it after all, that I wouldn’t find a job. I enjoyed the work I was doing, I was valued by my employers and I had opportunities for further promotion. It was hard to leave, but I wanted more creative fulfilment from my career and I knew that I needed to challenge myself. I am so glad I did.
How would you describe your experience studying at Shillington? Any stand-out moments you’d like to share?
Shillington was exactly what I was looking for, allowing me to retrain without going back to university. I already had basic software skills, but the course filled in the gaps while developing my eye and creative problem-solving abilities. The teachers were fantastic and I am still amazed by how they teach so much in such a short time. Each brief was designed to test us to our absolute limits, and the pace was judged to perfection. From day one, when we were given a box of pipe cleaners to facilitate a bonding exercise, I felt excited and happy to be at Shillington. The atmosphere encouraged creativity while also being structured and supportive. I won’t pretend it was all a dream. Though I knew the term would be intense, I didn’t anticipate what an emotional rollercoaster it would be. There were moments of self-doubt and frustration. I cried twice in the toilet, a lot more at home and threw my laptop at the wall one weekend. But I’d do it all over again in a shot.
Visit Eleanor’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
Suparom Ronyut
Creative Fellow at Rare with Google
Becky Dore
Designer at OnThree
Mason El Hage
Art Director at monopo
Ana Perez
Founder of Anecdota Studio
Claudia Costa
Freelance Graphic Designer
Shireen Roy
Freelance Graphic Designer
Daniele Regan
Founder of Danibydsgn
Michelle Crocker
Freelance Designer for Film and TV
Anuja Shukla
Creative Specialist at Twitter
Jeremy Somers
Founder and Creative Director of We Are Handsome
Jess Mosoph
Junior Creative at Dinosaur
Carolyn Kao
Product Designer, Robinhood
Rob Key
Founder of Studio Change and Change Space
Carl McBride
Junior Designer at Toyfight
Melody Yee
Lead Designer at
The Daily Edited
Darsh Seneviratne
Designer at Canva
Matt McKay
Designer at Kensa Creative
Ximena Jimenez
Web Designer at Blackmagic Design
Kinda Savarino
Designer at Billion Dollar Boy
Chantel Charchalis
Marketing and Content Creator at The Dog Mum
Tom Noon
Freelance Graphic Designer
Lauren Danger Koste
Studio Manager at The Design Kids
Karina Aslikyan
Freelance Graphic Designer
Robyn M-C
Freelance Graphic Designer
Lauren Stevens
Freelance Graphic Designer/ Junior Designer at NRMA
Karen Liang
Learning Experience Designer at Standards Australia
Ayesha Mansour
Freelance Designer, Aah Yes Studio
Anna Dai
Freelance Graphic Designer
Georgia Latham
Intern at Imagist
Natasha Michels
Designer at Nine Publishing and Creative Director at Sweaty City magazine
Mary Lin
Graphic Designer, Colette Werden
Carla Zimbler
VJ and Designer, Tszuj
Wyatt Welles
Freelance Graphic Designer
Laura Welch
Enviromental Designer at Sundance Film Festival
Sophie Bo Schmidt
Senior UX Consultant at PeakXD
Sivim Ly
Junior Graphic Designer at Loeffler Randall
Ben Thaler
Junior Designer at Common
Rosylvia Wang
Design and Brand Officer at Historic Houses UK
Liam Speranza
Associate Design Manager at Tushy
Em Storey
Junior Designer, NU Creative
Natalie Taylor
Designer, Mobkoi
Ella Caseley
Winner of the Shillington x Champion Agency Scholarship
Oyinkan Karunwi
Founder at Aseda Design Agency
Sylvan Hillebrand
Midweight Creative at HarrimanSteel
Maria Vazquez
Freelance Designer and Art Director
Alessandra Conti
Designer, RAPP
Elizabeth Diffey
Freelance Graphic Designer, Spotify
Majo Crespo
Co-Founder and Strategic Designer, Facético
Lorenzo Mengolini
UX Designer, AKQA
Abbey Swinn
Designer, Frost*collective
Angeline Chan
Communications Specialist, The University of Melbourne
Julia Hoolahan
Art Director, Home Beautiful
Seyi Ogunlade
Freelance Graphic Designer and Photographer
Rory Knibbs
Designer, The Midnight Club
Jess Goodall
Digital Designer, Pistachio Design
Stephanie Halovanic
Creative Producer, &Walsh
Megan Voo
UX/UI & Content Designer, Ignite Online
Gerald Torto
Strategist, Re Agency
Eman Abdallah
Graphic & Experience Designer, KAIRO
Ariana Villegas
Designer, Simplecast
Ray Wong
Designer, Oink Creative
Johanna Hagenauer
Brand / Product Designer, Rexlabs
Kris Klein
Experience Design + Videography at AKQA
Emily Campos
UX Designer, Wix
Rawin Keo
Lead Graphic Designer, Dermalogica
Mark Osmond
Designer, Thumbs Up!
Vanessa Bertagnole
Graphic Multimedia Designer, Surf Life Saving Queensland
Araki Koman
Freelance Illustrator and Designer
Arwa Al-Salam
Designer, Human Appeal
Benny Hinman
Designer, Frost*collective
Em Stokes
Junior Designer, MOO
Veronica Humphris
Digital Designer, Mapway
Leila Bartholet
Designer, Chandelier
Jared Worthington
Designer at Media Playground
Alexandra Francis
Designer, Flow Creative
Benjamin Ngooi
Graphic Designer, Cox Architecture
Sophie Lord
Creative Director, Hello May
Khadijah Adbul Nabi
Freelance Graphic Designer
Frankie Young
Founder, Studio Neubau
Ella Donald & Charlotte Carnegie Brown
Co-Founders, Studio Duzi
Amy Forsyth
Graphic Designer, Alfresco Emporium
Jaira Adlawan
Senior Visual Designer, Sephora
Jamie Krups
Creative at Stab Magazine
Keiran McCann
Graphic Designer, Victoria’s Secret
Greg Bemis
Creative, Nike
Anastasiia Vinnichenko
Designer, Phantom
Lori Beth Kaye
Senior Product Designer, The Iconic
Megan Dweck
Visual Designer, McKinsey & Company
James Freebairn
Junior Graphic Designer, Dark Mofo
Irina Manning
UX Designer, Manning Labs
Shannon Gordon
Designer, R/GA
Sinead Murphy
Freelance Graphic Designer
Lauren Koste
Freelance Designer and Craft Beer Specialist
Ani Monteleone
Designer, The Wall Street Journal
Caitlin Clancy
Designer, The New York Times
Miwako Suzuki
Integrated Creative Director
Linda Gao
Designer, HBO
Rachel Urquhart
Founder, Pony Gold Studio
Will Batrouney
Graphic Designer, Ignite Online
Ellie Pinney
Freelance Designer
Katie Lodge
Business Development Manager, Frost* collective
Joseph Lebus
Designer, Made Thought
Jordan Demetriou
Junior Designer, Principals
Hamish Snow
Product Designer, Rexlabs
Emily Somers
Founder, Bravery Co.
Eleanor Robertson
Designer, Paul Belford Ltd
Estefi Panizza
Junior Designer, Design Bridge
Erin Gale
Designer, Target
Kylie Meller
Founder, duosista Web and Graphic Design
Yarron Frauenfelder
Design Director
Bianca Chu
Senior Designer, eBay
Bianca Oggiano
Designer, FutureBrand
Alexander Rog
Junior Designer, oOh!
Christopher J Porter
Designer, I See Sea
Babeth Olde Hanter
Junior Art Director, SOV
Chrystal Christie
Photographer/Graphic Designer, One Round Entertainment
Tally Thompson
Graphic Designer, Awesome Creative
Dominika Stanczyk
Designer, Open Water
Lindsay Koffler
Graphic Designer, Refinery29
Amee Wilson
Art Director, Clemenger BBDO
Lily Moore
Designer at Sotheby’s
Braden Floris
Designer, GoFundMe
Ashley Ronning
Illustrator and Founder of Helio Press
Tahmena Lutfi
Digital Designer, Qantas and Jetstar Hotels
Anara Davletaliyeva
UX Designer and Developer, Appliances Online
Tiffany Yee
Designer, Forever 21
Amy Sheehan
Art Director, Insider Inc.
Emma Ladlow
Designer, University of Nottingham Students' Union
Alexis Waller
Design Director, R/GA
Halah El Kholy
In-House Designer, Brew Tea Co
Jess White
Junior Graphic Designer, Just Media Design
Bobby Hendry
Designer, Brilliant Logic
Jessica Bakker
Junior Graphic Designer, Beyond Communications
Lauren Dannenberg
Designer, Mary's Group
Arnold Omanyo
UX/UI Designer, Digital on Demand
Dawn Moloney
Founder, A Making Life
Miranda Mayne
Freelance Graphic Designer
Caroline Keefe
Freelance, Nickelodeon
Paul and Amoni Liddell
Graphic Designers, Westpac CX and Feel
Meredith Wallis
Designer, King & Partners
Ocki Magill
Founder, Letter Bug Studios
Victoire Scherer
Graphic Designer, Marketing Agency
Anika George
Designer, AKQA
Liana Modolo
UX Designer, Rex Software
Kelly Hansen
Graphic Designer, Amazon Books
Mikel McCavana
Designer, Moment
Alexander Wu-Kim
Concept Creative, ANDPEOPLE Australia
Jing Ong
Designer, Autumn
Kirsten McColl
Designer, WH-O
Nicole Rogers
Designer, Birchbox
Pooja Dharia
Branding Designer, FCB Health
Erin Donati
Founder, Harley Quinn & Co.
Jackson Todd
Art Director, Van Der Zwaag
Andy Vargas
Designer, Bitâcora
Moshe Bien
Designer, Nucleus
Crystal Lin
Designer, DNA Design
Stephen Grace
Designer, Christopher Doyle & Co.
Eleanor Rogers
Letterpress Printer, Chapel Press
Andy Tharagonnet
Designer, ThumbsUp
Ben Peters
Freelance Graphic Designer
Brad Holten
Designer, Big Idea
Natalia Baker
Freelance Graphic Designer
Molly Sitter
Studio Designer, Spring St. Social Society
Guy Pittard
Freelance Graphic Designer
Bea Sambalido
Freelance Graphic Designer
Peta Harris
Graphic Designer, Macquarie University
Oceane Combeau
Designer, Fernand et Firmin
Anna Mullin
Illustrator, Sneaky Racoon
Theo Witrylak
Visual Designer, EPAM
Stephanie Antill
Founder, St Clement Creative
Paul McKie and Myles Sharpe
Directors, Autumn
Pete Conforto
Designer, For The People
Roo Cassels
Designer, Big Fish
Nicol Reid
Founder, Little Creative
James Birks
Freelance Illustrator and Designer
David Scott
Designer, The Mix
Jane Durlacher
Graphic Designer, Paper Stone Scissors
Rachel Lee
Freelance Graphic Designer
Janno Saft
Founder, frank wo
Sean Raynor
Designer, Watermark Studio
Vanessa Burgess
Graphic Designer, Tritium
Olivier Adam
Freelance Graphic Designer
Cari Sekendur
Art Director, LMNOP Creative
Alexandra Menzies
Freelance Graphic Designer
Margherita Baldi
Freelance Visual Designer
Tim Jones
Brand Experience Director, venturethree
Carla Scotto
Freelance Graphic Designer
Meg Walker
Designer, Milkshake
Christina Capetola
Designer at Wayfair
Louise Hamer
Design Lead, We Are Empire
Ina Estrada
Founder, Par Vous Designs
Sam Jacobs
Senior Designer, Time Inc.
Ulrika Johnson
Designer, Fantasia Accessories
Henriette van Baren
Graphic Designer, ABC Carpet & Home
Charly Tudor
Graphic Designer, Holdens
Lola Irwanto
Graphic Designer, Princess Polly